Andrew Gale wins claim of unfair dismissal against Yorkshire following Azeem Rafiq racism scandal

Former head coach Andrew Gale has won a claim for unfair dismissal against Yorkshire.

Gale, 38, was one of 16 members of staff sacked in the fallout from the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.

Gale made his legal claim alongside second-team coach Ian Dews, bowling coach Rich Pyrah, academy lead Richard Damms and strength and conditioning coaches Ian Fisher and Peter Sim.

An employment judge found that their complaint was "well founded".

In a statement, Yorkshire said the 16 sackings were "necessary and justified".

They said: "The club acknowledges the judgment that no disciplinary process was followed, which it has accepted in order to minimise the tribunal time taken up by these cases.

"At this preliminary stage, the tribunal has not made any judgment on the reasons for dismissal and the club's firm view is that the dismissals were necessary and justified."

Unless the two sides come to an agreement, there will be another hearing to determine the remedy.

The consent judgement was issued by the judge on 23 May but published on Tuesday.

Former batter Gale spent his entire career at Yorkshire, first as a player after making his debut in 2004, then as captain between 2009 and 2016 before ending his playing career at the age of 32 to take up the head coach role.

He was suspended - as part of an investigation into a tweet he sent in 2010 - before he was sacked on 3 December.

Gale also lost his post with Headingley-based The Hundred side Northern Superchargers when his contract was not renewed.

Some other members of the 16 sacked by Yorkshire have already reached compensation agreements with the county.

The outcome of an England and Wales Cricket Board investigation into the racism allegations made by Rafiq and others is still to be published.

Former Yorkshire player Rafiq told MPs last November that English cricket was "institutionally" racist.

He went public with his experiences in September 2020 and said the "institutional racism" he encountered while at Yorkshire left him close to taking his own life.

Yorkshire launched an investigation, but took a year to release the findings of the report.

The report summary said Rafiq was the "victim of racial harassment and bullying", with seven of the 43 allegations upheld, although the club said they could not release the full report for legal reasons.

They also said no-one at the club would be disciplined, which drew widespread criticism.

The club's handling of the scandal led to a raft of resignations, with chief executive Mark Arthur and chairman Roger Hutton leaving their posts, and the England and Wales Cricket Board stripped Headingley of the internationals it was due to host - the club's right to host England matches has since been reinstated.

Lord Patel has taken over as chairman, former Yorkshire and England pace bowler Darren Gough has come in as director of cricket and former West Indies all-rounder Ottis Gibson was appointed head coach in January.